What opportunities are there for undergrads when doing research? I already know that fellowships do exist, but please feel free to elaborate on them.
Any responses?
Varies by school/region/field/department. There is no single answer for this.
It’s been twenty minutes, that’s a little soon to to bump a thread.
Research opportunities for undergrads vary so wildly that without more context, such as your intended field, academics, etc. there is little anyone can say. You are unlikely to get a research fellowship before entering college.
Well, elliebham I am using the research component as a part of my search for colleges since it will be a key component of my future career. It’s quite obvious that people don’t get fellowships before entering college since none of that exists in the secondary level. I am looking for opportunities in research in the pre-med area and which colleges offer the best ones. In regards to my thread, with some threads, I get people to respond more quickly than others. I just want to get all my questions answered and not just one.
And elliebham, I may not have that opportunity to do fellowships now because of my status, but looking ahead can help me financially plan things out
Quick tips:
- Use the @ to refer to a user. This way, they get a notification when they are mentioned.
- Include all pertinent information, as well as your "stats" in the original post (GPA, ACT, etc.)
- Have patience when people respond to you. Don't bump your thread immediately or get short if not everything is answered at once.
- Instead of making new threads with vague questions, take some time to look through existing threads, especially the one pinned at the top of each sub-forum. Familiarize yourself the terminology used so there is less confusion between what you are asking, such as in your other thread. You may find that many of your questions have already been answered in depth.
- Familiarize yourself with the organization of sub-forums here. There is, in fact, a pre-med sub-forum that may help you.
- Take the incentive to do some of the research yourself. This will help you in the future when looking for specific information as well as learning how things - such as fellowships - work. Asking "please elaborate on fellowships" is not likely to result in what you're looking for.
Research opportunities are often college-dependent. Summer internships with faculty members, independent projects during the academic year, and (sometimes required) senior projects represent the basic range of options at schools that support faculty-mentored student research. Particular outside fellowships, though not essential, might be considered separately.
Agree with @elliebham. Nonetheless some tips for you.
There will be unpaid opportunities at all research universities; it’s up to you to seek them out. When visiting small colleges, look into their labs and see if they look busy or the equipment has dust on it from 10 years ago. Do the professors publish? Contact the department head and ask about opportunities. Dig into the department website. In short, do some research.
Even if the college you choose doesn’t have extensive research, there are summer programs available at other institutions.
My last piece of advice. It’s sounds like you want to be an MD. Don’t be one of those pre-med students that wants to do research simply to pad the medical school application.
@Elliebham: First of all I already did my research in advance? However, I was wanting more answers to further sum things up. In addition, you don’t have to be so rude when answering other people’s questions; the whole point of college confidential is to help people not insult them. The reason why I put this question here was that because research was a huge thing in regards to choosing a college as I already told you earlier in one of my posts. Why would I have to include stats (GPA, SAT,and what not) if the question that I am asking does not need it? I only bumped my thread once since others were noticing that I had other threads and were answering my questions on some but not all like I told earlier. And for sure I know that you know what a fellowship is; otherwise, you wouldn’t have answered. I know that there is a premed forum and I already posted there for more relevant questions than this one in regards to that topic.
@GregoryRichards Nothing I have said to you has been rude. If you don’t wish to take advantage of one’s advice, that is your prerogative, but it is not a result of me having been rude to you.
If you really love research, then it is often best to check out the research universities - esp places that tend to assist research at the undergrad level (rather than keeping most of the good stuff for grad students). A great example is where my middle son opted to go - University of Rochester. At his school between 75 and 80% of undergrads opt to do research - across many majors. It’s a culture there.
It doesn’t have to be a private school. His second choice ended up being Pitt - another really good choice - he just mainly liked U Roc’s campus better due to it being smaller and more of a “bubble” campus with less focus on sports, etc. Both have hospitals right next to campus making it easy to volunteer, shadow, and pending which research you are working on (not all is in hospitals), research there.
There are plenty of others. Those just give examples that he looked into more thoroughly.
Alternatively, some students like LAC settings better and those often (but not always) have research going on too. There are fewer options (due to size), so be sure profs are researching what you want to research (or close enough). An example here is Eckerd College for Marine or Environmental Science. They aren’t super well known in general, but are near or at the top of their field in Marine Science and are a great option for students desiring that major because there are no grad students getting to do the “most fun.” Juniata is similar for Environmental Science fields. Obviously, due to their locations, the Environmental things being researched differ, so it’s up to the student to see what appeals to them.
Even LACs not offering much in research options during the school year often have agreements with other places for students to do things over the summer. This is not limited to LACs though. My research loving son in the top paragraph spent a summer doing (paid) research at Stanford. He worked with others from both research U’s and LAC’s. (More were from research U’s than LAC’s though.)
Well @dadof1 I only bumped it up once, @elliebham was being a snob about it in addition to not answering my question. However, thank you. I understand that my application should have more volunteer work in the community and in hospitals to diversify it and to look better. I already asked UT in regards to research and another friend of mine but I just wanted to compare the things that I got with other colleges around the U.S before choosing. @Elliebham should have realized that this is a search, I am not an full-blown expert of how colleges work in general since I am still in a secondary institute…
If you don’t want to take my advice, then don’t. If you don’t want to know how to use this forum, then ignore it. Move on. No one here is obligated to help you, but you are not entitled to name-call those who post on your thread.
Wow @Creekland thank you. Does undergrad research often involve creating a new item?
Good luck to you, Greg.
Undergrad research varies in nature and availability quite a bit from school to school.
Well @elliebham I did not mean to come across as insulting; however, you have to realize that I am coming in to this whole college ordeal with not a whole lot of experience. Like I’m not a complete college genius. Since I am a first time user, I’d appreciate a little bit more patience with my questions and correct me in not such an overwhelming manner. You should realize where I am coming from. I apologize for any remarks.
Thank you @dadof1
I realize where you are coming from because I was there myself two years ago.
When I offered you tips, it was because those were the things I learned when I first started using this forum and that was how I was able to find as much information as I did. When I saw you were a new user, in addition to your recent threads, I wanted to help you use this forum so that you, too, would be able to use this forum to the best of your advantage. Instead of considering them, and considering that I went out of my way to help you, you took it as a personal offense, called me rude, and called me a snob. I realize you are not a “college genius” which is why I advised you to first look at existing threads and learn the terminology. It was a bulleted list. I didn’t scream at you. That’s hardly overwhelming. Again, feel free to just ignore it if you didn’t want the advice. But don’t call me names.